Bulk binding



Aug. 12, 1930. H. N. KNOWLTON ET AL 1,

BULK BINDING Filed Sept. 22, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l f/argyjy Know/757a. Edwin Flax;

awn m w Aug. 12, 1930. KNOWLTON ET AL 1,772,902

' BULK BINDING Filed Sept. 22. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J a Q 2 Wm 6 H Patented Aug. 12, 1930 PATENT OFFICE "1.1:. N. KNOWLTON AND EDWIN F. LAU, OF OHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SIGNODE STEEL STRAPPING- COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELA'W I BULK BINDING Application filed September 22, 1926. Serial No. 137,034.

Our invention relatesto improved methods of loading freight cars with cargo, such as barrels, boxes, containers, or any objects of bulk-capable of being bound together by comparatively few tension members.

In the loading of freight cars for shipment it is necessary to provide some means for holding boxes, barrels, etc., in place in the car, as the shocks of transportation exerted on the car cause such sudden movements of the car that the barrels or boxes tend to slide, due to their inertia from their position in the car into impact with each other and with the walls of the car, causing excessive breakage of containers and resultant loss or damage to their contents. It has long been the custom to use wooden blocking fastened to the floor or walls of the car for maintaining the shipment in place against the shocksof transportation, but each successive shock moving the parts of the load a little, throws the weight of the entire load against the blocking and the major part of the load against the end containers, which are frequently broken.

Our invention contemplates a'novel method for obviating the foregoing difficulties and others, and amon its important objects are:

First, the provision of a novel method of binding a large part of the bulk or containers of a car shipment together into a group or groups with metal tension members, separated by novel spacing stays, by means of which the separate parts of the load are bound together to form one or more large. bulks.

These bulks which may move as a unit within the car when the car is subjected to extreme shocks, provide a combined frictional and inertia resistance against sliding on the 40 floor so that the position of the bulk is not affected by small impacts and moved only sli htly by large shocks.

econd, the provision of a novel bulk bind-' ing stay for maintaining such tension members in proper spaced relation, both before loading the car preparatory to binding the load into bulk, groups or units and after the bulk is bound.

Third, the provision of an improved bulk binding stay of flexible material adapted to conform to the shape of the bulk bound together.

Fourth, provision of a bulk binding stay easy to manufacture, economical and capable of nesting together, to be bound in bundles andt threaded on the tension members as a um Other objects and advantages of my inventlon will appear more fully from the followng description and accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views. In the drawings Fig. 1' is a view showing a shipment or cargo of barrels grouped and bound by our system of bulk binding;

Fig. 2 is a view showing a plurality of our bulk binding stays threaded on the tension members and being placed or draped in a car preparatory to receiving the cargo.

Fig. 3- shows one end of a railway car equipped with binding members and stays temporarily arranged about its walls to receive a groupor unit of cargo.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of our novel bulk binding stay;

Fig. 5 is an end View of the same.

, Referring to Figs. 4 and ,5, 10 indicates our novel bulk binding stay comprising a spacing member of ordinary metal strap, preferably steel, of such dimensions as to provide sufficient columnar strength to main.- tain the tension members in spaced relation, yet sufficiently flexible to conform to the contour of the walls of the containers bound. This stay is stamped from regular steel strap stock, and is provided at each end with stamped longitudinal ribs 14 and 15, extending down to its central portion below the strap holes 20. It will be noted that by the provision of the ribs l4t15, the stay has two relatively stiff end portions 12 and 13, and a central flexible portion 11 permitting it, when bound, to conform to the shape of the bulk.

' v The strap holes 20 are formed by punching out substantially rectangular holes near each end of the stay 10 between the edge and the ribs 14 and 15, and by pressing that portion of the stay 21 between the said hole and the edge out of the plane of the stay 10 to form a strap holder loop 21, with a hole 20 large enough to permit steel strap to be inserted therethrough at a large range of angles to the surface of the stay 10, and to permit the steel strap to lie over the ribs la and 15 parallel to the stay surface, although passing through the same. The stay 10 is likewise provided with a plurality of transverse spurs 16, 17, 18 and 19 formed by cutting into its edges at an angle to said edge at a plurality of points, preferably in the suit portions of the stay and turning up the resulting spurs at substantially a right angle to the stay. By the cutting of said spurs all from the same direction, we provide a bulk binding stay which may be packed with the spurs or each successive stay behind the other, and which will nest together with the holes 20 aligned somewhat diagonally, so that a whole bundle of stays may be threaded on the binding strap at once. The stays may be provided in bundles of any convenient number nesting together with the holes 20 substantially aligned, thereby gaining a substantial saving in time in the threading operation. By providing a plurality of spurs on each side and at each end and by offsetting the spurs from each other at each end, we provide prongs which ensure holding engagement, because if one prong meets a crack between boards, the other will engage a board.

In Fig. l the bottom or base end, which is the right end in the figure, is provided with a longer ribbed portion 28 below the strap hole 20, in order to automatically space the binding straps from the floor on the bulk bound.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3,we have shown therein our novel method of assembling the stays previously described with the binding strap and the bulk to be bound. In Fig. 2, 25 indicates a truck of any convenient type, having a plurality of reels 26 and 2'? of steel strap, which we find it convenient to dispose with one strap unreeling at the to and the other at the bottom. A. small portion of the straps 23 and 24 are unreeled, and for binding a shipment in the end of the car a bundle of bulk binding stays, of a number depending on the size and character of the bulk to be bound, preferably about 10 in number for half a car of barrels, is threaded on the straps v 23 and 24 by passing the respective straps through the holes 20 of a plurality of stays simultaneously. The bundle ties are then broken and the operator then takes a hammer and starting with the second stay from the strap end nails each stay by means of the spurs 16, 17, 18 and 19 in upright position on the car walls, its end resting on the floor, be-

ginning on the car wall at the opposite door 'edge 29. Unreeling the strap as he proceeds,

he slides the remainder of the stays along the strap, spacing them about the car, preferably at such points that the barrels or other objects will be placed adjacent the stays, for reasons which will appear hereinafter, and

awaeoa disposed across the front ofthe bulk bound group or unit.

With the binder bands thus draped about the walls of the car and supported in spaced relation by .the stays, the cargo elements, such as barrels, ofa group or unit are loaded into the space that is partly surrounded by the bands. The ends of the respective straps 23 and 24c are then brought together, placed in a strap stretcher in such manner that the end of the strap is gripped'by the tool with suflicient strap projecting. past the tool to lie adjacent that part of the other end of the strap beyond the tool, these parts to be later joined together as'described hereinafter. By means of a stretching tool, the straps are then drawn up taut, pulling the spurs of the stays from the car wall and making the stays lie against the bulk bound. In this operation the ribs of our bulk binding stay,extending past the strap holes and spurs at each end, provide relatively stilt portions adjacent these parts which permit the straps to draw the spurs out of the car wall without substantially deforming the stay.

In order to properly space the stays to lie on the barrels or other bulk, the operator may then inspect them, a few taps of a hammer being sufficient to change any spacing, and sufficient stretching is then applied to draw all component parts of the bulk together, and press the stays against the bulk, causing the stays to conform at their central flexible portions to the bulk bound, as, for instance, to the bulge of a barrel. The adjacent parts of the strap beyond the tool are then fixed together and firmly sealed, preferably with the well known Signode seal, one form of which is shown and described in Flora Patent No. 1,252,680 dated January 8, 1918, and the stretching tool is removed by releasing the same and slipping it out from under the strap. The. shipment with the complete binding is shown in Fig. 1, the stays 10 being drawn flatly up against the barrels conforming to their shape.

It will be observed that our bulk binding stay, having closed loops about the tension members or holes through which the tension members pass, cannot become detached from the stay during the tensioning operation or during transportation, as in the case of open loops. I

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a novel method of bulk bindmg, lncluding a novel bulk binding stay which involves a short series of steps in its application greatly decreasing the labor,

H mzaeoa a necess in its operation, and having anew 8., A bull: binding a for temporarily and use cooperation with the bulk bound, supporting a plurality of inder bands about in that all the binding elements conform to aspace to e occupied by the bulk, comprising the shape of the bulk bound in a plurality of directions.

ile we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of modification without departing from the spirit of the invention, and we do not Wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of all changes-within the scope of the appended claims.

e claim: g

L In bulk binding, the process of threadin a plurality of spurred s acers on a plu ra ity of tenslon members, g said stays at spaced intervals on the walls of 3.103.! by said spurs, fillin .the space within the car and tension mem rs with a shipment to be bound, tensioning the said tension members about the shipment and fixing the respective ends of the straps together, a

2. A bulk.binding stay bundle comprising a plurality of perforated stays bound together and adapted to be threaded simultaneously on a binding member. a

3. A. bulk binding stay, comprising a member having rigid end portions and a flexible central portion. said ends having punched holes and being provided with integral projecting pron .4, A bulk binding stay, comprising means for holding and spacing a plurali of binding straps,-means for securing sai stay to a car. wall, a flexible portion to conform to the shape of the bulk bound, and rigid portions at its ends.

5. A bulk bindingfstay, for holding and spacing a pluraht of binding straps, means for securing sai stay to a car wall, a plurality of stays being ada ted to nest inbundles with said apertures a ed.

6. A bulk binding stay having a par of v rigid apertures through which tension members may be threaded, spurs carried by said stay in the regions of said a ertures, and means 'stifieningl the stay in t e regions of said apertures, t e portion of said sta which lies between said re 'ons being flexib e. F

7. The method 0 preparing binders for a cargogroup which includes threading a plu-' ralitylof flexible bands throu h a number of stays suflicient to support the ands in spaced relation about the space in the carrier to be occupied by the cargo group, drapin the bands about the space to be occu ielf and holding them in place and aced relation by having apertures an elongated metal strip flexible intermediate its ends and stifiened adjacent its ends and provided with a hole through each stifiened part for threading the strip upon the bands, and means for attaching the strip to a support.

9. A bulk binding stay for temporarily supportin a plurality of binder bands about a space this occupied by the bulk and maintainin he bands in spaced relation about the blfik, st-ri flexible intermediate its ends and stiffcomprising a long, narrow metal ene in the region of its ends, said stiffened region being apertured to receive a binder band, and attachin spurs struck up from the strip at interva '5 along its edges.

10. A bulk binding stay for temporarily supporting and spacing a plurali of binder bands, comprising a long relative y thin and narrow metal strip provided with a longitudinal rib in the region of each end and fiat intermediate the ribbed regions, each ribbed region having an aperture opening arallel to the strip,-so that a binder band t readed therethrough will be flat against the strip,and

spurs formed on and projecting from the strip to attach the'same to a support.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 14th day of September, 1926.

HARRY N. KN OWLTON EDWIN F. LAU.

sliding the stays along the ands to the de- I sired positions and securing them to the walls of the carrier, loading the cargo group within the space thus draped, tensioning the bands about the cargo group, the ends of the respective bands together.

and securing 

